What if? Challenge Submission
by dwparsnip
Summary: A response to DaniWilder and ladygris' What if? Challenge. What if Neeva shot Rodney in the Jumper in Identity? Last chapter posted. Enjoy...I hope.
1. Chapter 1

A fly by the seat of my pants attempt at Dani and ladygris' What If? Challenge.

MGM owns SGA, I don't.

500 on the nose.

* * *

Jennifer sat in her wheelchair and waited. It had been a damn crazy few days for her. She'd thought suddenly finding herself in someone else's body was as bad as it could get, but it wasn't even close.

Neeva had shot Rodney in the chest. If Ronon hadn't shown up when he did, Rodney wouldn't have made it. That was enough to make her blood boil, but the anger was tempered by anguish because from Rodney's perspective, it had been her- Jennifer- that pulled the trigger.

She looked up as the door slid open and a tired looking Carson walked into the room.

His eyes brightened when he saw her, but they faded again almost immediately. He looked unsure of what to do or say. Finally he walked over to her and reached for the bottom hem of her shirt. "Right…let's take a look at this dressing?"

Jennifer reached out and prevented him from touching her shirt. When he finally looked into her eyes she said, "It's fine, Carson."

Beckett accepted that and stood up. "Alright, love. I trust you to tell me the truth."

Jennifer sighed and asked, "How is he?"

Carson went eerily still and Jennifer's stomach flipped on its axis. "He's stable," Carson said carefully. "The bullet did a lot of damage as you might expect."

"I need to see him, Carson," she whispered as her eyes begged him to let her. "I need to touch him and tell him it wasn't me."

Whatever Carson was about to say went out the window when he noticed the water buildup in Jennifer's eyes. He walked around to the back of the wheelchair and put his hands on the handles. "You can see him for a few minutes," he said as he pushed her towards the door.

A couple of minutes later Carson brought the chair to a halt next to Rodney's bed. "I'll be outside," he whispered next to Jen's ear and then left the room.

Jennifer only barely heard Carson. Her full attention was on Rodney. She reached over and took his hand in hers, and a piece of her heart shattered when she found his usually warm hand cold and clammy.

"I'm sorry, Rodney," she said softly. "It wasn't me," she explained as the first tear made its way down her cheek. "I know it looked and sounded like me, but it wasn't me." She ignored the searing pain in her side as she leaned closer to him. "You have to be okay so I can tell you that." She pressed her lips against his hand and whispered against his skin, "I love you."

Tears fell freely onto the bed so she closed her eyes to try to make them stop, but they shot open again when she felt his thumb rub her hand. She looked up, and while his eyes were still closed, she could see an attempt at a smile on his lips.

"You'll be fine," she said as she smiled. "We'll be fine."


	2. Chapter 2

A continuation. 499 words.

MGM owns SGA. Buggers.

* * *

Radek looked up from the tablet Carson had finally let him have and smiled. "Jennifer!" He put the tablet on his bed and carefully swung his legs over the side to face her.

Jennifer smiled as she wheeled herself towards Radek. He looked good for someone who had been stabbed with a pair of pliers. "Hello, Radek," she said as she came to a stop. "How are you feeling?"

Radek shrugged. "Much better." He pointed in the general direction of her stomach. "And you?"

Jennifer's left hand absently went to her healing wound. "I'm okay. It was a clean wound."

An awkward silence fell upon them for nearly a minute, until Jennifer sighed and looked Radek in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Radek."

Radek's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Sorry? For what?"

Jennifer motioned to his stomach as he had done to hers. "For…"

But Radek would have none of it. "It wasn't you." Jennifer opened her mouth but he shook his head to stop her. "It was this Neeva and not you. You were not in control… you weren't even there. You have nothing to apologize for. Prostý." He gave her a dry smile when he realized he'd slipped into his mother tongue and said, "Simple. It is that simple."

Jennifer relaxed in her chair, relieved that Radek felt that way. "Thank you."

Radek gingerly eased himself off the bed and hobbled to her. He slowly and carefully leaned down to hug her. "Don't worry about Rodney," he whispered, "he will understand." He released Jennifer and waddled back to his bed. He looked at her and nodded resolutely. "He will."

She smiled at him again. "I hope so." She backed up the wheelchair and turned it towards the door. "Thank you, Radek," she said as she moved away from his bed. "Now get back in that bed so you can get better and get out of my Infirmary!"

His laughter followed her as she moved towards Rodney's bed in the critical care unit at the other end of her domain. Well, Carson's domain until she was cleared for duty. She wheeled herself up next to Rodney and fought back the tears that had been her constant companion since she was told about what had happened to him.

She twisted a little in the chair, trying to ease the pain in her side. She had no business being out of bed, and a small part of her mind laughed at the whole, 'Doctors make the worse patients' cliché, but she didn't care.

She reached over and closed her slender fingers around his hand. He hadn't shown any signs of consciousness since the first time she'd spoken to him. She was almost beginning to wonder if she'd imagined his attempted smile and the way his thumb moved.

She looked at his pale face and once again wondered how she'd react if their positions were reversed. She squeezed his hand as the tears fell, and hoped that Rodney was stronger than she was.


	3. Chapter 3

MGM owns SGA. 500 words.

* * *

He was tired and cold and in the dark.

As Rodney's consciousness slowly fluttered through the thick dark space, he came to the realization that he was seriously injured, though he couldn't remember anything about it.

Without warning, he felt a flicker of warmth. It bewildered him for a moment, but when he heard her voice he understood. He couldn't understand what Jennifer was saying, her voice rendered incoherent by the thick fog smothering his mind, but there was no mistaking the voice that could calm him down in the worst of times.

He could feel himself slipping back into the black void, but he couldn't help but smile and try to let her know that he could hear her even as some little part of him felt very afraid.

And not of the impending darkness.

* * *

When Rodney next felt himself float towards the land of moving parts, it was with much more ease. In fact not only could he feel himself wake up, but he could open his eyes just enough to see some light.

He could hear voices over the electronic beeps of the monitoring equipment, and though he commanded his head to turn towards them, it would not obey.

He concentrated on the voices instead. He could hear Carson and Sheppard talking about him, and Carson saying how John was well aware of how dangerous gunshots could be.

He'd been shot- again. He tried to remember what happened to him. He'd gone to check the navigation system of one of the Jumpers, but when he'd walked into it something hadn't been right.

"You're supposed to be in bed," he heard Carson say to someone.

He listened for a reply. "I couldn't sleep."

Jennifer. Something about her voice saying those words unsettled him.

"You need to rest," said Carson.

There was a few moments of silence and then John said, "Come on, Doc. I'll take you back to your bed."

"You are not taking me anywhere," Jennifer replied. She said more but Rodney couldn't hear it over the pounding of his heart which had started to beat madly in his chest.

He remembered.

She had been in the Jumper, and he'd wanted her to go back to the Infirmary, but she wouldn't and then she pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

He summoned all of his strength and turned his head. Jennifer was sitting in a wheelchair, John standing to her right and Carson to her left. They were looking at her with similar looks of reprimand upon their faces. She ignored them to look at him, and when her eyes found his they bulged open.

"Rodney!"

There was a sudden flurry of activity around him- Carson rushing towards him, the monitors going bonkers, nurses pouring in through the curtains- and within him as his heart thumped louder and louder and his lungs felt as though they were filling with cement.

And all he could think as his eyes closed was, _Jennifer shot me!_


	4. Chapter 4

MGM owns SGA. 500 words.

* * *

Jennifer seized the arms of the wheelchair with an iron grip that immediately turned her knuckles white as Carson and her staff swarmed around Rodney. She couldn't see him anymore, not that she needed to. The alarms coming from the monitors and the way Carson was barking orders told her Rodney was having some sort of attack.

She had no doubt that if she were able to focus on the numbers and orders being bandied about, she'd know exactly what was happening with the man she loved, but she simply couldn't summon enough focus.

In fact, she felt as though she were spinning out of control. She felt as though she were whirling around in a centrifuge, with everything inside of her threatening to tear her apart in an effort to spread itself amongst the stars. Her heart was racing. Her stomach was churning. Her vision was blurry.

If she had been standing, she'd have probably ended up in an undignified heap on the floor.

_Get a grip, Jennifer!_ she screamed at herself, trying to find the strength to calm her heart and clear her mind. By the time she finally managed to take in her surroundings with a semblance of reliable accuracy, she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What?" she demanded faintly when she realized where she was. She weakly pushed at Sandy who was helping her get into bed. "Wait! I have to go back to Rodney!"

Sandy took Jennifer's legs in her hands and gently lifted them and turned them onto the bed so that Jennifer was sitting up in her bed. "I'm sorry, Doctor," she said as she reached down and pulled the blanket up over Jennifer's legs. "But Dr. Beckett has confined you to your bed for a while."

Jennifer was outraged. "How dare he!" She reached down and threw the blanket back down to the bottom of the bed. "He has no right…!"

"He has every right," interrupted Sandy with the sort of quiet authority she'd always managed to have when she needed it. "He is your doctor." She reached down and once again covered her boss with the blanket. "And he said he'd come and see you when Dr. McKay was straightened away."

The bluster left Jennifer and she felt her cheeks catch fire with embarrassment. "Sandy, I'm sor…"

"Don't worry about it, Doctor," replied the nurse with a sympathetic smile. She patted Jennifer's hand. "And don't worry about him. He'll be fine."

"That he will be," Carson's Scottish brogue agreed.

Sandy excused herself and Carson gave Jennifer an appraising glance before saying, "He's fine. And he's awake. He hasn't been able to say much yet, but from what I could tell…"

"He thought I shot him and he went into a panic attack when he saw me," Jennifer said softly.

"Aye," said Carson sadly. "John is talking to him now about that." He reached over and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Jennifer. He'll understand."


	5. Chapter 5

MGM owns SGA, not me. 500 words. One more after this one I think.

* * *

"What do you mean she doesn't want to see me?" Rodney wasn't sure how he should feel about that: should he be angry at her for not coming, afraid that she still wasn't herself or concerned that during their ordeal her feelings had somehow changed? The only thing he knew with absolute certainty was that he wanted to see her.

Twenty-four hours ago he'd woken up, confused, dazed and slightly medicated. The first thought that had come to his mind when he saw her sitting there was the memory that she had pointed a gun at his chest and shot him. After Sheppard had told him what had really happened, that some Pegasus galaxy criminal who had switched bodies with Jennifer had actually pulled the trigger, all he'd wanted to do was see her.

That want turned into terrified need when Carson had told him that Jennifer herself had been shot as well.

He had to give credit to Carson for putting up with the dire threats and colorful language he'd unleashed upon the doctor. But no matter what he'd said, Carson was adamant that they give it twenty-four hours for her sake as well as his, even going so far as to issue a few threats of his own.

Now that day was up and he really wanted- needed- to see her.

Sheppard sighed and sat down in the chair he'd spent a lot of time in during the past few days. He rubbed his face with his hands and then looked at Rodney. "She's still worried that you might think she was the one who shot you and get upset…"

"That's ridiculous!" Rodney hissed angrily. "I'm getting more upset now that…"

Sheppard held up his hands to try to get Rodney to settle down. "Take it easy, Rodney. Just look at it from her point of view."

Rodney tossed the blanket off of him and tried to sit up, only managing to raise himself an inch off the bed before collapsing back down with his chest feeling like it was going to explode.

Sheppard was standing over him in a second, concern mixed with anger evident upon his face. "Are you crazy, McKay!" John covered Rodney again. "What the hell are you trying to prove?"

Rodney waited for the pain to ease in his chest and then he looked at John. "That I love her," he said with a sigh.

John's eyes softened and a grin played at his lips. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day when you'd say something that romantic."

"Shut up!" groaned Rodney as he rolled his eyes.

"Really," said Sheppard, his eyes dancing with laughter. "I never imagined you'd go all soft on us, and all it took was a blond doctor from Wisconsin to melt that Arctic heart of yours."

Rodney groaned and asked with more desperation than he wanted to, "Are you done yet?"

"For now," replied Sheppard.

"Good," replied Rodney. "Now, unlock the brakes on this damn thing…"


	6. Chapter 6

Last one. Almost three times the limit, but it's the last one so I didn't really care. ;)

MGM owns it. Not me.

Hope it's a happy enough conclusion to this fic (right Dani?).

* * *

Jennifer stared at the wall without actually seeing it, or much of anything for that matter. All she could think about was Rodney and what he was going through. When John had come by half an hour earlier to tell her that Rodney wanted to see her, she had almost agreed, but in the end she thought it was best to give him some more time.

She was still deep in thought about Rodney when something hit her bed with enough of a jolt to almost send her flying off the edge of her bed. She turned over and sat up, her eyes nearly bulging from her head at the sight before her, the sight of a United States Air Force Colonel pushing a hospital bed- complete with IV pole with monitor- towards her. And on that bed, was the man she loved- the very man whose life her own hand had almost taken.

"Damn it, Sheppard," growled Rodney as he gripped the rails of his bed. Jennifer couldn't help but notice that his growl wasn't up to its usual decibel level, not that it should have been of course. "Watch where you're going! You frightened Jennifer!"

At that Sheppard stopped trying to maneuver the bed around and looked up at Jennifer. "Sorry about that, Doc," he said with an apologetic shrug. "These beds aren't the easiest things to steer in tight quarters." Sheppard pushed on the bed and frowned when it wouldn't budge. "And before you go getting pissed at me," he pointed to Rodney, "it was his idea."

"Well she wouldn't come to me," griped Rodney with a pointed glare at his friend, "so drastic measures were called for."

Jennifer knew her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open, not to mention the fact that she doubted she could actually say anything even if she wanted to. So it was with that bug-eyed look on her face that she silently watched Sheppard pull Rodney's bed back a few inches and then push it forward and turn it so that it was parallel to hers. The Colonel had left a space between the beds and it was into that small area that he moved into next. He bent down and started fiddling with the railing of Rodney's bed, making several noises that varied from grunts of disgust to sighs of confusion.

When Jennifer finally found her voice she asked, "What are you doing, Colonel?"

Still bent over and looking at Rodney's bed, his reply was slightly muted. "Trying to get this rail down. I can never remember how to do it."

"Even after all the time you've spent in those beds?"

Sheppard straightened up faster than should have been possible, and like Jennifer and Rodney he looked towards the end of Rodney's bed and into the bemused eyes of Nurse Sandy.

Jennifer watched as Sandy smiled at Sheppard and motioned for him to move. When he did she moved to the side of Rodney's bed and easily lowered the rail and to her credit, she made absolutely no sign of hearing John's aggravated grumble. She moved to the foot of Rodney's bed and looked to Sheppard.

"Now, Colonel," she said as she took hold of the bed, "you push the head of the bed and I'll push the foot."

Sheppard did as he was told and a moment later Rodney's bed was snugly fitted against Jennifer's, effectively making one bed out of two.

Jennifer watched with pride and gratitude as Sandy locked the brakes on Rodney's bed and then moved up to thoroughly examine his IV and the monitor to make sure all that jostling about hadn't done him any harm. After a second check Sandy turned to her and gave her an imperceptible nod.

"If you two need anything, just give me a shout," said Sandy as she moved to stand next to Sheppard at the foot of Rodney's bed. She gave them a wry look. "I'll be at the desk figuring out how to explain this to Dr. Beckett."

Sheppard gave her his best charming smile. "I'm sure you'll come up with something convincing, Sandy."

Sandy returned his smile, but her tone when she spoke was steely. "Oh I'm sure **we** will, Colonel." She stepped back and pointed towards the desk- away from the patients- and said, "Visiting hours are now over. These two have had more than enough excitement for one night and need some alone time."

Sheppard gave Rodney and Jennifer a wave as he walked past Sandy, who turned and followed him out leaving Rodney and Jennifer alone. Jennifer watched them leave and wondered how she'd managed to find such good friends. The thought was short lived however, as the burning sensation that she was being watched overcame her until she turned to look at Rodney.

He was studying her, and she wanted very badly to run and hide from that intense scrutiny. Was he looking for signs of the person who had shot him? Was he remembering that?

She turned away from him and studied her fidgeting fingers that were laying on her lap. "Rodney…"

"It wasn't your fault."

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. Trust Rodney to get right to the point.

"If it's anyone's fault it's mine," he said, and he gave her a penitent smile when she turned to glare at him. "If I hadn't been so caught up in my work and we went to the movie on time, you never would have touched that stone. If you wouldn't have touched the stone, you and this Nivea or Nirvana or Neeva or whatever her name was wouldn't have traded bodies, and," he stopped and avoided her eyes as he painfully mumbled, "and you wouldn't have been shot."

Jennifer blinked, sending tears cascading down her cheeks and onto her pajama shirt. He wasn't blaming her at all. More than that, he was blaming himself for her getting injured.

God she loved this man.

"Rodney," she said softly, and when he finally returned his eyes to hers she added, "I shouldn't have touched it anyway."

Rodney sighed. "It doesn't matter. I…I ignored you for work- again- and it led…"

She could tell he was struggling, and her eyes flicked briefly to the monitor attached to his bed to make sure he was okay.

Rodney cleared his throat and she found his eyes again. "And it led to you almost being killed. I'm sorry."

The sorrow in his voice, and the way his apology was whispered with great difficulty broke her heart. She shimmied on her backside over towards him, and when she was at the edge of her bed she laid down and turned to face him.

Jennifer reached over with her left hand and touched his shoulder. She waited a moment and then moved her hand down along his arm until her fingers interlaced with his. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Rodney," she said as he turned his head towards her. She had been prepared for him to distrust her, to think of her as the person who nearly killed him. She hadn't been prepared to be the one on the receiving end of an apology. She certainly didn't blame him for any of this.

Rodney sighed and Jennifer squeezed his hand. "I mean it," she said when his eyes focused on hers. "I love you."

Rodney smiled but grunted in astonishment. "I'll never understand why."

"You don't have to," she replied, and she smiled when a grin played at his lips.

"I love you, too," he replied. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. As he lowered it back down he added, "More than anything." His grin widened and his eyes glimmered. "And when we get out of here and we're both, you know, able to, well, you know, I'm going to show you how much."

Jennifer laughed as a tear slipped onto her cheek, but for the first time in days it was not a tear of sorrow or dread, but one of happiness. "I'll hold you to that, McKay," she said happily. "I'll hold you to it."

The End. :)


End file.
